How Does Everyone Afford All These Designer Items?

[kahlilg]

^Wow, you wrote so much. And I sat here to read all of it.

I'm glad all that has worked out for you. What stook out the most to me was

- Learn how to master your material lust. For expensive clothing items, I give myself two weeks' time for consideration. For bags, if they are 'classic', I wait for a couple of seasons to make sure that they are right for me; if they are 'trendy,' there is a great chance that they can be scooped up at end-of-season sales or on eBay for half off or more. My most recent score was a Marc Jacobs art deco messenger reduced from $2100+ to $625, but more on eBay later. From a functionality standpoint, I have enough bags now, so I only buy designer when I have achieved a milestone I set for myself, such as graduation or a promotion. Flipping through magazines also helps curb the tendency to buy impulsively.

I'm so impulsive it's a terrible habit. I'm trying to become more and more refined in classic fashion-wise but it's taking a while.

I'll take your advice to heart though!

 

[princessaud]

LIBERTYROSE- reading what you wrote made me feel so calm! and i agree very much with what you said thanks! haha, next time when i feel lousy about not being able to splurge i'll definitely come back to this thread and read your post.

 

[Alexandra8715]

This thread is so good. I love how most people, even if not super wealthy can still afford the odd designer item by shopping sensibly and in the right places. A few people have noticed how I in particular, never ever go out on massive shopping sprees in the highstreet like a lot of people I know do. What I tend to do is spend more on fewer items that I love (I'm not talking designer clothes here, just clothes that are slightly more expensive than the average high street shop). I suppose it comes from being extremely fussy about my clothes and very wary of the cost of things.
When it comes to designer the only thing I'm aiming for in the next couple of years is a Chanel classic 2.55. I've wanted one for about 4 years now but since I'm still a student I'll have to wait another 4 years before I can contemplate actually buying one! I hope that once I have a real job I will be able to occasionally buy some designer items.

 

[gsquared]

LibertyRose's insight was fantastic! I love this thread.

Like many of you, I'm just your average college student that's sometimes working and sometimes not. I have the bad habit of 'deal hunting' a little too much. Most of my items were 'on sale/clearance'...I'm trying to curb this habit by avoiding shopping spontaneously (which is how i end up buying most things). That said I still don't think I can ever justify buying anything full price unless it's something that never goes on sale (Chanel 2.55, Louis Vuitton etc.). I will always buy sale items...but I'll have to try to limit myself to buying for the sake of the item rather than scooping all 10 things up because of the price.

 

[lady B]

I'm 18 and I work.I've been working at my local McDonalds for about 4 months now.I make 685 euros/per month.That's the only way for me to buy designer stuff,because there's no way my parents pay anything for me.My mom thinks it's ridiculous to spend 1000 euros on a bag (she's a modelist/stylist who used to work for Dior and Kenzo .... go figure ),so she told me that if wanted to buy expensive stuff, I had to pay them myself

I don't really care about sales because it's still very expensive,specially if you like big brand like Chanel,Chloe or Fendi.

Honestly I really like the fact that I have to work to pay my own things.I remember the first time I bought my first designer item,it was a pair of Chanel flats .... and it feels so good to buy your own stuff with your own money.I was so pride.But I don't have that much designer items ,it's great to buy some once in while but I couldn't do on regular basis because that's not really my priority.I just save my money for particular items,and I really take time to think about what I want to buy,to be sure that it really worth my hard earned money LOL

 

[Kimkhuu]

I am a professional gangster.

 

[missbhaven]

I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!

 

[seanutbutter]

^ I'm willing to take that chance, tell me!

 

[GirlOfMyDreams]

I only purchase designer gear that I know I'm going to use for years to come.

 

[Fabulyss]

I actually don't believe in the notion that one's whole closet should consist of 10 designer items and that's it (this seems to be popular, particularly among Europeans). I see nothing wrong with owning only a handful of designer items and buying the rest at more commercial stores.

In terms of quality I think it's all in how often you wear it and how you take care of it. For example, I have pieces from H&M and Gap that have outlasted some designer items.

Also, the only designer items I buy are from consignment shops (some have still had the tags on them!) and/or TJ Maxx (a Vera Wang dress for example!) so they are very inexpensive; but this can be difficult if you don't have stores like this nearby. Though personally, I find handmade vintage dresses to be some of the highest quality clothing I own!

 

[ChrissyM]

^^i have (surprisingly) found A LOT of great stuff at tj maxx through the years..
especially now that they have their little runway at the maxx section..
before that i was very good (and still am ) at patiently sorting through the racks and finding some hidden gems..
i found a tory burch sequined tank , and gorgeous valentino long navy and cream colored jacket , a navy blue velvet armani vest with jewels on it ...
and a pink houndstooth moschino blazer! (that i have worn a TON over the last 4 or 5 years)
just lots of great stuff..
for really great prices too

it helps to be a bit more adventurous or to have a taste for things that are sort of unusual..
i've found a lot of great pieces that are very "me" but that others might not necessarily wear because they can't really imagine an outfit out of it..

that's how i afford stuff anyway...
i rarely buy anything full price..
the occasional handbag perhaps...

 

[lauriza]

I'm also a student with an approximate 700-1000 euros a month income, but I've managed to find Marc Jacobs and Louboutin flats in some secondhand stores for under 100E. I mostly shop in H&M or something in the same price range. But if I really want something, I'll save for it (or just buy it, then eating porridge the rest of the month ) I really wanted a Mulberry Bayswater, so I worked through the christmas holidays, and then bought it secondhand (barely used) for 500e.

Now I was able to snatch the Marc Jacobs ankle boots I've been lusting after forever on NAP for 280 (original price 695e). It's a huge amount of money for me, but well, I think their really worth it.

Also you can find really great deals on ebay..

But, I so wish they had TJ/TK Maxx here in Finland!

 

[JoyNips]

How I can afford my shopping habits? I can't!

No, seriously, I'm a vet student and I don't make that much money while studying. But I don't mind saving for specific stuff and eating crappy food for a month or two to be able to buy it. That means, that I can't be spontanious and I have to consider if it's an item that I will truly love to own or if I can live without. Often it turns out to be the latter.

 

[dumbbrunette5]

^
I think we always have choices. "I have no choice but to shop at Wal-mart" really means "I am choosing to shop at Wal-mart."

to a certain extend i agree with you but i also think that sometimes certain peoples choices are very very limited. for example, i am a high school student, i am unable to get a job during the year in the country that i live in and due to various regulations i could not get a proper summer job (other than say..babysitting) until i was 16. for me, "cheap stores" like h&m, zara, urban outfitters, etc. are very expensive so i only shop once a year and save up my allowance (i get to keep $9 a week and put $9 in the bank for savings) to go buy a couple nice things at those stores. i have to be very careful about what i buy and make sure that it will last me for several years. on top of that, i live in thailand where there are no thrift stores and the inexpensive thai stores are made for thai bodies...which means that i can barely squeeze my size 4 *** into a thail XL.
this in a way, limits my choices by alot and if i had more money i would probably make some different choices and 'choose' to spend in nicer stores. in the same way, there are people with much much less money than me who can only choose to buy one or two things at wall mart because thats all they have.

 

[dumbbrunette5]

sorry if that post was too long...

 

[justlooking]

lol, why is your name dumbbrunette5?! i feel bad typing that!
thank you for posting. No post is ever too long

 

[cordeeelia]

I just simply spend half of my salary every month (when I am working) on what I want. Its not such a good idea to be honest coz i am broke now. Occassionally, I shop on Ebay for designer items, but usually it involves weeks and months of searching for the designer items that I want (like a Sass & Bide jacket I saw on Mischa on the OC which I wanted for ages), things I really like and not just because its designer. They aren't always cheap on Ebay either, it really depends on your luck too (bidding is such a chore!) but most of the time I still get em at a pretty good deal. I also recently got sent a designer something from one of my favourite contemporary designers coz I over-write about him on my blog, so that was pretty cool. Plus, i do get my boyfriend to buy me small designer items or pay partially for it on my birthday/christmas/anniversary every year, so that helps too, and of course I shop in sales (online). The designers I buy are all the ones you see on ShopBop anyway, I am not really into Prada, Chanel, Balenciaga calibre of clothes, I'd probably dirty or destroy em easily. Still, despite all that, I don't have a lot of designer clothes. Maybe 2 pairs of shoes, 2-3 handbags (the $178-$500 range), maybe a marc by marc jacobs dress, designer denim, and a few jackets. Sometimes I sell em to buy new designer stuff on Ebay too, but I'm going to be a student soon again so I doubt I'd be buying a lot of designer stuff in the near future. :-(

 

[dumbbrunette5]

haha dont feel bad typing it. it just came out of an inside joke situation because i tend to say silly things alot and not think before i speak. so sometimes i come off as an airhead to people who dont know me well and kind of a 'dumb blonde' yet..im a brunette. yea its kinda weird but yea. ...im actually not stupid though i just sound that way at times

 

[stl]

I don’t buy designer clothes, but I do like to invest in bags and maybe shoes.
If you buy classic style, it would last you forever and eva. Think of Louis Vuitton’s Speedy, Chanel 2.55.
When I go shopping and spot something I like, I try not to buy it straight but take some time to think how it’s going to fit my wardrobe and if after some time I still like it I go and buy it.
And yes, shop when things are on sale. It’s pretty depressing to see a dress you paid retail for at half price.

Instead of buying another top, I’d buy a new scarf or some nice accessories to dress up an old top.

My boyfriend is currently away (till next month YAAAAAY), so I try to text him instead of calling every day. He on the other hand calls me all the time, which I guess is good for my budget. But hey I suggest we talk online sometime which is good for both.

 

[Inaya]

I have a young child and very little personal spending money after bills, buying groceries for each week, and all other living expenses that come along with having a child and home, but I still manage to buy designer items. If I want something that is say $500, I will save $30 per week or so, give or take, and sacrifice certain things like eating out at restaurants as often and other unnecessary expenses. I just keep my eye on the prize basically, and this way it's perfectly feasible to buy myself something once per month or one very expensive item every couple of months, despite the fact that I have very little spending money. I have realized, as time has gone on, that a lot of the small, low quality things we buy add up a great deal over time... and if you learn to discipline yourself a bit and think of the bigger picture, then purchasing great quality designer clothing/accessories is definitely an attainable goal even on a small budget.